The Road to the 2017 Champion Hurdle

Can't argue against that Eddie. He was literally brought to a halt.

Anyway, back to the current situation & after talking with my friend beyond I know Fehily was at 7barrows today to school Buver who was very good again. Still nothing official but would be stunned if he didn't get the ride. If rumours are to believed Mark Walsh rides Yanworth!!!


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Great to see Diakali back on the racecourse today.

Highly speculative, but I've had a few quid on at 200, to extend my list of No-Hoper bets in the Champion Hurdle. Have also had a few schekels on at 500 for the Stayers.

#Cheltmental
 
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Just spotted him too - loved this horse and I think he had bundles of talent but possibly not the most robust of bodies!
 
Cyrus Darius confirmed for champion hurdle. It's going to be a bigger field than normal.


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Sean Boyce tipped him up on the Final Furlong podcast preview last night. Think he meant for next years renewal with a head start. :D


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13 stand their ground

Brain Power
Buveur D'Air
Ch'Tibello
Cyrus Darius
Footpad
Moon Racer
My Tent Or Yours
Petit Mouchoit
Sceau Royal
The New One
Wicklow Brave
Yanworth
Vroumn Vroum Mag
 
Was at the Exeter Preview Evening last night and David Pipe was getting a lot of stick about Moon Racer - he asked the audience which race he should go for and everyone said CH. I actually spoke to him afterwards and put my plea in (I have him at 70s on BF - actually sparked off by Trudi's comments on here) to go for CH. I remember before the bumper, he was held in the highest regard by the Pipe team and I have no reason to think otherwise.
 
I would have lost all faith in WPM if they had supplemented Limini,...why? she wouldn't win a CH with a rocket tied to her ass and that on my part is not aftertiming

Horses that cannot with the Champion Hurdle :- MTOY, Sceaux Royal, Chtibello Brain Power and Footpad

Horses that can in no real order:- Yanworth, Petite Mouchair, Buveur Dair and Cyrus Darius
 
MTOY no bigger than 20/1 now, and a general 16/1 chance. :ninja:

I don't know why I'm getting excited, really........he will completely woof it, as soon as he gets a chance! :lol:
 
This is all down to whether Petite Mouchoir can be caught by Yanworth who may or may not hit a flat spot.

Buveur D'Air has class but Yanworth has proved himself at a higher level...........I reckon Petite Mouchoir will have the legs of him
 
Grasshopper said:
MTOY no bigger than 20/1 now, and a general 16/1 chance. :ninja:

I don't know why I'm getting excited, really........he will completely woof it, as soon as he gets a chance! :lol:
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Excited.Nicky is living in the past he should have scratched him and sent Peace and Co who's an absolute certainty for the County :0)
 
jinnyj said:
Was at the Exeter Preview Evening last night and David Pipe was getting a lot of stick about Moon Racer - he asked the audience which race he should go for and everyone said CH. I actually spoke to him afterwards and put my plea in (I have him at 70s on BF - actually sparked off by Trudi's comments on here) to go for CH. I remember before the bumper, he was held in the highest regard by the Pipe team and I have no reason to think otherwise.
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If you have to ask an audience then you ave no place in the Champion Hurdle:p
 
Topped up again on Buveur D'air for the Champion Hurdle there at 9/2 after reading back through some of my notes & times from last years Supreme Novice Hurdle.

Contrary to the lazy journalism out there basically saying he needs it soft to operate I had last years ground for the start of the festival much more lively than the official Simon Claisse line of 'Good/Soft - soft in places". The clock after the Supreme suggested they were indeed racing on good ground. The Arkle and the champion hurdle times confirmed the same. There was no way they were racing on anything with soft in it. Indeed Timeform sectionals had Annie Power breaking the course record and also suggested much better ground which even further backs up this theory.

At Aintree on G/S ground he got the better of a vastly improved Petit Mouchoir, vastly improved for being allowed to front run. Limini was miles back in 3rd and North Hill Harvey who won this years Greatwood was further back again. But it's the Supreme form that holds the key to this champion hurdle. And Buveur D'air finished 3rd in the hottest Supreme in years having been anchored out the back all the way around. Sprinter Sacre & Jezki both fared well after finishing 3rd in their supreme. When Altior and Min kicked from the front Fehily still had't asked the horse for his effort. He went to creep up a gap between a flat out Petit Mouchoir and Supasunday but the latter fell back on top of him so he was forced wide around the Potts horse.

It was in the straight he really closed the gap the front two had stole on him from the front. He powered up the hill to get from 6th to 3rd and just about catch min on the line. If that gap had come from him and he got that run Min got I have no doubt he'd have been a clear 2nd to Altior. That is exceptional form and better than anything in open company this year in my honest opinion. Ground conditions also hold no fear as he goes on anything.



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I don't disagree with the overall thrust of the argument, KA, but I think the theory (floated elsewhere too) that Buvuer D'Air would have finished a lot closer, but for being "anchored out the back", is maybe a little over-stated. He basically made up his ground coming down the hill, and turning off the bend, he would have been no more than about 4L behind Min/Altior. Indeed, Altior put further daylight between himself and BDA on the run to the line, and the implication that BDA was somehow unlucky, is hard to justify, imo.

There's already plenty of concrete evidence for thinking that race was a bit special, and even in defeat, BDA has probably put-up a performance that would be good enough to go close in a few recent renewals of the Supreme. He doesn't have the best form on offer, but he looks a more progressive hurdler than most in this field, and they're generally no bad thing to have onside, in an open/weak race.
 
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